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323234822435 Biggest Letdowns from the Star Wars Canon “Purge of 2015”https://geardiary.com/2015/12/30/5-biggest-letdowns-from-the-star-wars-canon-purge-of-2015/
https://geardiary.com/2015/12/30/5-biggest-letdowns-from-the-star-wars-canon-purge-of-2015/#respondWed, 30 Dec 2015 17:00:43 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=357866Like millions of others I have seen and LOVED Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As a long time fan of films and games and books, I loved seeing things from or derived from the ‘Expanded Universe’ that were immediately familiar. In fact, everything about this great new entry was awesome … but since then I …]]>

Like millions of others I have seen and LOVED Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As a long time fan of films and games and books, I loved seeing things from or derived from the ‘Expanded Universe’ that were immediately familiar. In fact, everything about this great new entry was awesome … but since then I have realized what it meant to the REST of the Expanded Universe: death.

It was 37 years ago that the book “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye” became the first post Star Wars book, based on some early writings from George Lucas, but later declared ‘non-canon’ to make way for the rest of the original trilogy. It remains in print as a book and comic, but is not ‘official’.

Due to the popularity of Star Wars and the universe and characters it created, as well as how things like The Force and Lightsabers sparked the popular imagination, there has been a pretty steady stream of new content through the years. As would be expected, there is a danger in creating fiction that comes between movies or precedes the movies but uses the same characters and settings, so LucasFilms has worked for a long time to help writers develop stories that work within the accepted universe, known as ‘canon’.

Canon is important for any fictional universe as it provides guidance for creating new works without trampling on existing or future ‘official’ releases. This has allowed the Star Wars world to grow incredibly large and rich with characters and settings. Look at this exploration of just the novels as of a few years ago:

If you add on video games (a huge list is here, with enough that there is a ‘top 50’ list here as well!), graphic novels and more – you can imagine how huge the world of Star Wars has become.

But there is something common between Star Wars books and games – most occur in the decades following Return of the Jedi. As such, you can envision a problem: with a new Star Wars movie trilogy coming set in the decades after Return of the Jedi, there was no way that the new movies and existing stories could coexist. So? Disney and LucasFilm announced a simple ‘reset’ – as of right now here is the full set of stories and shows and movies and comics and video games regarded as ‘canon’ in the Star Wars universe:

That is a huge difference! There are tons of awesome stories and characters and arcs that have now been lost to the dust-bin of history. Sure we can still read the books and play the games, but the chance of ever seeing them on screen in any significant way is gone.

Here are my five most lamented losses from the ‘Purge’:

The Thrawn Trilogy: this is perhaps the best known of the Expanded Universe books, and for good reason! Great stories, great characters and well written (too rare in Star Wars books!). This sprawling trilogy introduced Grand Admiral Thrawn, a supreme strategist who represents the career military leader that wasn’t given much time in the movies. In fact, this series gave Luke Skywalker more development, as well as introducing Mara Jade and other great characters and also the concept of ‘Dark Jedi’ as Force users who embrace the Dark Side without becoming Sith.

Kyle Katarn: Kyle Katarn first appeared in the 1995 first person shooter game Dark Forces, which remains a favorite of mine to this day. He was then further developed in books and an audiobook adaptation that takes him from Dark Forces into Jedi Knight. He is central to the Jedi Knight series of games, with Jedi Outcast and Jedi Academy remaining the best lightsaber combat games ever made. His conflicted nature – he was a graduate of the Imperial academy who joined the Rebels, he was drawn more than once towards the Dark Side, and remained a mercenary and used unconventional tactics.

The New Jedi Academy: specifically the book trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson, but the general concept as well. After Return of the Jedi, Luke sets up a new Jedi Academy on Yavin IV (the base for the Death Star attack in ‘A New Hope’). Because there are so few Jedi, many of the traditional rules are set aside such as pairing master and apprentice and not training older students. This leads to myriad issues, which are great to explore. We learn more about training, the Force, and so on. The series also introduces a weapon that can destroy an entire system by causing its sun to go supernova, called the Sun Crusher.

Mara Jade, Talon Karrde, the Skywalker & Solo kids, etc: while it is possible we’ll see some of the myriad EU characters, some doors have already been shut by the first movie. And while I LOVE the new characters we’ve met, I do mourn the loss of these old companions.

Enemies and Allies: while I’m not a fan of the New Jedi Order book series, it presented the compelling idea that there would come times when the New Republic and Imperial Remnant would find themselves facing an enemy powerful enough that they would need to work together. The whole notion that this isn’t simply ‘good vs. evil’ once it stopped being Jedi vs. Sith was pretty cool. I don’t ever see that happening in the movies, and losing those storylines is a shame.

Of course it isn’t ALL bad … here are five things I am GLAD to see gone!

Clone Palpatine (and Thrawn): OK, sure – the Emperor had a clone made of himself. After the whole thing with Geonosis in the prequels, why not? But suddenly it became an excuse to not think about new storylines. And really, if the Emperor was smart, he would have set himself up properly and surrounded himself with clones … or something. Then the same thing happens with ‘The Hand of Thrawn’. Please stop.

Yuuzhan Vong: An enemy who is super-strong, and impervious to the Force? Sure this allows them to present a very long series of story arcs, kill off heroes tragically, and so on … but they lost me long before anything resolved. It didn’t help that many of the books were mediocre and many stories felt really forced, and switching author to author made tracking across story lines hard.

Force, Force, EVERYWHERE!: In the prequels we learn about how small the number of Force users is in the universe, but in the EU it feels like every book has us stumbling across several new Force sensitive people who are on random worlds doing incredible things. Once in a while it makes sense, but in too many of the books I was rolling my eyes.

What do you think? Are there favorite games or books or characters or stories that you lament losing?

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/12/30/5-biggest-letdowns-from-the-star-wars-canon-purge-of-2015/feed/0357866Book Review: “Kids Won’t Eat Healthy? Quick, Read This Book!”https://geardiary.com/2015/10/26/book-review-kids-wont-eat-healthy-quick-read-this-book/
https://geardiary.com/2015/10/26/book-review-kids-wont-eat-healthy-quick-read-this-book/#respondMon, 26 Oct 2015 18:30:43 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=354872We’ve been lucky so far, in that our toddler isn’t terribly picky. He’s not a fan of leafy vegetables, but otherwise he happily chows down on everything from burgers to tofu. I worry about what to do when he isn’t so agreeable, though, and luckily a local mom recently wrote a great book on the …]]>

We’ve been lucky so far, in that our toddler isn’t terribly picky. He’s not a fan of leafy vegetables, but otherwise he happily chows down on everything from burgers to tofu. I worry about what to do when he isn’t so agreeable, though, and luckily a local mom recently wrote a great book on the subject!

Her book, “Kids Won’t Eat Healthy? Quick, Read This Book!” is exactly what you need to learn to cope with picky toddlers. It’s a very quick read, but it’s full of useful tips for both kids and parents. Some of it is common sense, and it may be things you already know, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t helpful to get a refresher.

Broccoli in tacos sounds like a tasty idea AND a cool way to sneak in vegetables.

It’s ok for a kid to say no to food; it’s getting them to try it that’s important.

We actually wound up using a few of her tips last week. Our son, who is normally agreeable to every food available, attempted to hold out for pasta. We were having soup, not pasta, but he just sat there, pushed his plate away, and declared he wasn’t eating until he got pasta. We went through the usual litany of parental arguments: fine, don’t eat; begging; ignoring. Finally we told him he could be excused IF he ate three big bites of dinner. He heaved a big sigh, pulled his plate close and…ate the whole thing.

There’s no manual to parenting, and what works for one family may not work for another. But it’s always handy to have a reference guide with tips, and “Kids Won’t Eat Healthy” is full of some great ones, plus it’s an easy read!

You can check it out at Amazon for $11.99, and if you’re a member of Kindle Unlimited you can read it for free as part of your membership!

Purchased book from the author

What I Liked: Quick read; lots of useful tips; author shares a great deal of knowledge but isn’t preachy.

What Needs Improvement: Nothing.

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/10/26/book-review-kids-wont-eat-healthy-quick-read-this-book/feed/0354872Good News, the Twilight Reboot You Never Wanted Is Here!https://geardiary.com/2015/10/06/good-news-the-twilight-reboot-you-never-wanted-is-here/
https://geardiary.com/2015/10/06/good-news-the-twilight-reboot-you-never-wanted-is-here/#commentsTue, 06 Oct 2015 15:30:19 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=353962Twilight has been rebooted by Stephenie Meyer. This is not a drill. Head to your nearest bookstore immediately, because for the 10th anniversary of Twilight, there’s a new version of the story out. Where the vampire is a girl and her object of obsession/stalkery affection is a boy. And yes, it’s really by Meyer, and …]]>

Twilight has been rebooted by Stephenie Meyer. This is not a drill. Head to your nearest bookstore immediately, because for the 10th anniversary of Twilight, there’s a new version of the story out. Where the vampire is a girl and her object of obsession/stalkery affection is a boy. And yes, it’s really by Meyer, and not fanfic like it sounds.

Now, you might be sitting here and thinking, “Wasn’t there a rumored new book from Edward’s point of view?” Yes, it was supposedly going to be called Midnight Sun, but after the first chapter leaked, Meyer refused to finish the book (supposedly maybe it will appear for the 15 year anniversary?) In any case, if you’ve read Twilight and thought “This would be awesome if Edward and Bella switched places, because stalking is far less creepy when a girl does it to a boy”, you’re all set … so head to Amazon to read the adventures of Edythe the “vampire” and Beaufort the presumably broody human male in Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined. Entertainment Weekly has some choice quotes from Stephenie Meyer about what inspired this reboot, but my personal favorite is that she claims it’s so everyone will understand Bella wasn’t a damsel in distress, but a human in distress.

I’m still not entirely sure this is reality, and that I’m not having a waking nightmare. But assuming this is real, it’s probably the highwater mark for strangest part of the Twilight phenomenon. Stephenie Meyer basically wrote a fanfiction version of her own book. The book which inspired a fanfiction story that then spun into the multimillion dollar phenomenon that is 50 Shades of Grey. To complete this circle, we need a fanfiction 50 Shades version of this new fanfiction version of Twilight. And so far there’s no word on whether Kristen Stewart or Robert Pattinson would be willing to reprise their roles in reverse. On the upside, I’m 90% sure that gender reversing the characters means there won’t be any half-vampire babies in future sequels … I hope.

And while we’re on the subject of Twilight, I would just like to point out that the Cullens and their fellow creatures aren’t really vampires. They have very few of the commonly accepted vampiric characteristics outside of bloodlust (see this Wikipedia article if you’d like to really nerd out on vampire traits.) Most damning, in my view, is that they’re nearly indestructible outside of fire or decapitation, they sparkle in the sun, and they infect their victims via venom, rather than a blood exchange, or even needing to drain their victims to near-death. They’re certainly supernatural creatures, but they’re barely vampires in the traditional sense, and it’s nearly impossible to take a sparkly predator seriously (in an internal Gear Diary chat, Candace called them “sparkly chupacabras”, which is how I’m going to refer to Kristen Stewart from now on). And let’s be honest, which is scarier:

This:

or

This:

Yea, that’s what I thought.

You can check out Life and Death on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and if these prove popular enough to generate sequels, well, I weep for humanity. And vampiredom.

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/10/06/good-news-the-twilight-reboot-you-never-wanted-is-here/feed/1353962Gear Diary Book Club’s October Book Is Robert Heinlein’s “Stranger in a Strange Land”https://geardiary.com/2015/10/03/gear-diary-book-clubs-october-book-is-robert-heinleins-stranger-in-a-strange-land/
https://geardiary.com/2015/10/03/gear-diary-book-clubs-october-book-is-robert-heinleins-stranger-in-a-strange-land/#respondSat, 03 Oct 2015 17:00:12 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=353805Last month when we read The Martian, I mentioned it has quickly rocketed up my list of favorite books. One book, however, holds the title of my all time favorite. I have read more books than I can guess at in my life, but one book has truly influenced my life: Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange …]]>

Last month when we read The Martian, I mentioned it has quickly rocketed up my list of favorite books. One book, however, holds the title of my all time favorite. I have read more books than I can guess at in my life, but one book has truly influenced my life: Robert Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land.

This is a hard book to really describe, so much so that even Barnes and Noble struggles to make it clear in their description:

Valentine Michael Smith is a human being raised on Mars, newly returned to Earth. Among his people for the first time, he struggles to understand the social mores and prejudices of human nature that are so alien to him, while teaching them his own fundamental beliefs in grokking, watersharing, and love.

You may have been around sci-fi in general long enough to pick up the word “grok”, even if you didn’t know where it came from. It came from this book, and it means “to drink.” But it also means so, so much more than that, as you’ll see when you read the book. This is more than just a sci-fi version of “boy raised by wolves/apes in the jungle” type cliché. Instead, it’s a book about what it means to be a human being. Not just an American, but a human being at the core, how and why our lives are so heavily influenced by religion and the need for beliefs, and the ways to connect closely with each other. I often point to this book when people ask why I chose to major in philosophy in college, because this is very much a philosophy book; it seeks to understand mankind and attempts to envision how to transform mankind.

There are heavy religious metaphors and overtones, many of which still parallel and fit with the modern world. There are also references to a number of concepts that were way out there in the 1960s but that have come true or will come true in the near future — eBooks, self driving cars, and smart homes are the big ones. There are also a few moments and asides that reflect views of Heinlein’s that are very outdated today, but even if you set those aside you get a smart, fascinating tale that takes what sounds like a basic science fiction story and turns it into something much bigger.

I won’t say more without spoiling the story for those who haven’t read it, but if you only read one of our Book Club selections this year, read this one. I have literally read this book so many times that I have whole sections memorized, and I am still looking forward to reading it again for this month. Every time I read it I get new insights and thoughts; trust me, you won’t regret it!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/10/03/gear-diary-book-clubs-october-book-is-robert-heinleins-stranger-in-a-strange-land/feed/0353805Gear Diary Book Club Discussion of The Martian!https://geardiary.com/2015/10/01/gear-diary-book-club-discussion-of-the-martian/
https://geardiary.com/2015/10/01/gear-diary-book-club-discussion-of-the-martian/#commentsThu, 01 Oct 2015 19:00:40 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=353798Did you finish reading The Martian in time for its big screen debut tomorrow night? Our own Greg Alston got to see it early, and he loved it (check out his review here), and now it’s time to discuss the book! If you haven’t finished yet, steer clear-spoilers ahead! I have been unabashed in discussing …]]>

Did you finish reading The Martian in time for its big screen debut tomorrow night? Our own Greg Alston got to see it early, and he loved it (check out his review here), and now it’s time to discuss the book! If you haven’t finished yet, steer clear-spoilers ahead!

I have been unabashed in discussing how much I adored this book from start to finish, and I think I’ve convinced several people to run out and buy their own copy. It’s rare for a book to be so scientifically grounded and still be laugh out loud funny, but somehow The Martian manages to walk that line. What I really loved, though, was how Andy Weir made sure to craft the issues Mark Watney faced as realistic as possible. He didn’t want a bunch of deus ex machina fixes, and he didn’t want it to be a case of Mars’ most unlucky resident. Yes, this shaped the science and keeps it grounded, but it also means you aren’t groaning at silly plot holes.

Here’s an example of what I mean: I love the book The Andromeda Strain, but it’s a perfect example of how unrealistic situations are used to drive conflict instead of the actual science. At the start of the book, the conflict is set in motion because a small town opens a mysterious satellite and unleashes an alien plague that kills almost everyone. That’s fairly realistic, and sets an “oh crap, I can almost imagine this happening” vibe. Then, about halfway through the book, one of the scientists working on the virus has an epiphany about how to address it…and then he promptly has an epileptic seizure and forgets his epiphany. It’s dramatic, for sure, but it’s also a ridiculous plot twist thrown in to stretch out the suspense. It would be like Mark Watney having to delay his journey to the MAV because he had an asthma attack.

The only part of the book I felt comfortable predicting was that the Hermes crew would rescue Mark (it just didn’t seem likely he’d die at the end), but the combination of “sciencing the shit out of this” and the consistently ramping tensions made the book exciting up until the very end. I would have loved to follow Mark further, but I think it ended at a good point, even if I didn’t need to think that hard about how stinky he was!

Did you enjoy The Martian? Do you have your tickets to see the movie yet? Kick off the discussion in the comments!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/10/01/gear-diary-book-club-discussion-of-the-martian/feed/1353798Gear Diary Book Club’s Next Book is…The Martian!https://geardiary.com/2015/09/12/gear-diary-book-clubs-next-book-is-the-martian/
https://geardiary.com/2015/09/12/gear-diary-book-clubs-next-book-is-the-martian/#respondSat, 12 Sep 2015 15:00:20 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=352906I rarely finish a book and immediately add it to my list of favorites of all time. Only a few titles have vaulted to the top at once, and The Martian definitely holds that honor-which is why it’s our next book club choice, just in time for the movie to debut October 2nd (no cheating …]]>

I rarely finish a book and immediately add it to my list of favorites of all time. Only a few titles have vaulted to the top at once, and The Martian definitely holds that honor-which is why it’s our next book club choice, just in time for the movie to debut October 2nd (no cheating and waiting for the movie!)

For those who haven’t seen the trailers, or who passed the book in Barnes and Noble but didn’t read the back, here’s the description from Amazon:

“Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.

Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there.

After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.

Chances are, though, he won’t have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old “human error” are much more likely to kill him first.

But Mark isn’t ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?”

What the description doesn’t capture is the sense of humor the main character has throughout his ordeals, nor does it adequately show the nailbiting moments. Somehow, author Andy Weir even manages to make scenes of beaurocratic bickering at NASA exciting, because while you’re reasonably sure this upbeat, exciting book doesn’t end in tragedy, you simply don’t know how it will all be ok. It’s tough to walk the line between hard science fiction and light humor, but somehow Weir manages to do so, and it makes for quite the page-turner. I started The Martian one morning before work, and finished it the next morning, because I couldn’t conceive of reading or doing anything else until I knew how it ended…that’s how good it is!

You can pick up your copy from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your local library, but it might require some hunting-even Amazon is sold out of the paperback right now!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/09/12/gear-diary-book-clubs-next-book-is-the-martian/feed/0352906Gear Diary Book Club: Ender’s Game Book Discussion!https://geardiary.com/2015/09/08/gear-diary-book-club-enders-game-book-discussion/
https://geardiary.com/2015/09/08/gear-diary-book-club-enders-game-book-discussion/#commentsTue, 08 Sep 2015 18:30:58 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=352812Did you enjoy reading Ender’s Game for this month’s book club choice? Now’s your chance to sound off on what you thought! Read some of our thoughts and then dive in with yours in the comments! Just remember, the discussion and comments will contain spoilers if you haven’t finished the series. It has been quite …]]>

Did you enjoy reading Ender’s Game for this month’s book club choice? Now’s your chance to sound off on what you thought! Read some of our thoughts and then dive in with yours in the comments! Just remember, the discussion and comments will contain spoilers if you haven’t finished the series.

It has been quite a while since I read Ender’s Game! The first time I read it I was in 6th grade, and I am reasonably sure the only reason my parents ok’d me reading it was that they had no idea what it was about! Whenever I reread it as an adult, I’m surprised by the number of mature themes in what is ostensibly a “young adult” novel: xenocide, death, racism, bullying, homophobia, and psychological issues are all on display, and that’s just what goes on in the Battle School! It’s hard to read some of what Ender encounters when you remember that he’s supposed to be a pre-teen. Overall, though, I think the book holds up quite well even today. It looks at how we expect more and more from children, turning them into little adults. Orson Scott Card managed to predict tablets in learning environments, and he even touches upon virtual reality-not bad for a book written 30 years ago!

On the other hand, while re-reading this time I really felt the book would have flowed better if Ender had been a touch older. It’s hard to imagine a seven year old kid beating another kid to death, let alone training a child to be a general at the age of 12. It took me out of the story a few times when I stopped to really think about his age. I do think the Buggers are a creative enemy, and I love the ending, with Ender finding peace with both the Buggers and his brother Peter. The further books in the series are great too, but the ending works quite well as a standalone.

What did you think of “Ender’s Game”? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to stay tuned for our next book club pick!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/09/08/gear-diary-book-club-enders-game-book-discussion/feed/1352812How Much Did My Local Library Membership Save Us This Summer?https://geardiary.com/2015/09/01/how-much-did-my-library-membership-save-us-this-summer/
https://geardiary.com/2015/09/01/how-much-did-my-library-membership-save-us-this-summer/#respondTue, 01 Sep 2015 19:30:10 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=352418I just went through my Amazon account, and determined I’ve read 25+ books this summer for free. Some of them were older titles, like Gear Diary Book Club selections, while others were relatively new. Plus issues of Consumer Reports and Runner’s World, all for free thanks to the local library. But how much did we …]]>

I just went through my Amazon account, and determined I’ve read 25+ books this summer for free. Some of them were older titles, like Gear Diary Book Club selections, while others were relatively new. Plus issues of Consumer Reports and Runner’s World, all for free thanks to the local library. But how much did we really save?

Last year we cancelled our Kindle Unlimited because the library offered a great selection for free, and this summer was my chance to try and quantify that savings. I didn’t sit down and add up every book on my Amazon list, but here’s a sampling of the Kindle prices for a few titles I read (basically, the books I would have bought outright without the library, as opposed to “Oh, hey, free is good, I’ll give it a shot” books I downloaded as well):

Add in free access to Runner’s World, Cooking Light, Consumer Reports, and several dozen other magazines via Flipster, and it’s easy to say the local library has saved us $200, and allowed me to read a significant number of titles, far more than our budget would have allowed had I been buying these outright! This is slightly skewed because I chewed through all fifteen titles in the “Dresden Files” series this summer, but if I hadn’t been reading those I would have been reading other titles to fill my time, so it still evens out.

Have you been taking advantage of your local library? If so, do the math and let us know your savings, and if not, this should be a good incentive for you to give them a try!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/09/01/how-much-did-my-library-membership-save-us-this-summer/feed/0352418Gear Diary Book Club Round 2 Is … Ender’s Game!https://geardiary.com/2015/08/18/gear-diary-book-club-round-2-is-enders-game/
https://geardiary.com/2015/08/18/gear-diary-book-club-round-2-is-enders-game/#commentsTue, 18 Aug 2015 19:30:06 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=351860Hope you all enjoyed reading The Man in the High Castle! We’re sticking with sci-fi (and war, for that matter!) again, this time with Orson Scott Card’s classic Ender’s Game. Technically this is a young adult novel, but the themes, violence, and metaphors mean you get a very different experience reading it as an adult. For …]]>

Hope you all enjoyed reading The Man in the High Castle! We’re sticking with sci-fi (and war, for that matter!) again, this time with Orson Scott Card’s classicEnder’s Game. Technically this is a young adult novel, but the themes, violence, and metaphors mean you get a very different experience reading it as an adult.

For those who aren’t familiar with the story, here’s the description from Amazon:

“In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race’s next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew “Ender” Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn’t make the cut–young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.”

“Ender’s skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.”

“Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender’s two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.”

It sounds like the setup for most Young Adult dystopias these days, but Ender’s Game is a nuanced and deep story. Card really worked to envision what a united-against-aliens world would look like, with students from very different cultures and religions coming together. He also doesn’t shy away from the incredible psychological burdens placed on children who are expected to become soldiers, and what that does to their childhood and their futures. Finally, as if that’s not enough to cover in one book, he also offers peeks into the adult politics of the world and the differing viewpoints that might exist.

Sold on it? You can find Ender’s Game at the usual spots like B&N and Amazon, as well as your local library. Don’t bother with the recent movie, and don’t read spoilers — the book is best enjoyed if you don’t know what’s coming. We’ll be discussing it in early September, so get to reading! (Special thanks to Gear Diary’s Perry for suggestion this one as our next book selection!)

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/08/18/gear-diary-book-club-round-2-is-enders-game/feed/2351860Man in the High Castle Discussion-Gear Diary Book Club!https://geardiary.com/2015/08/11/man-in-the-high-castle-discussion-gear-diary-book-club/
https://geardiary.com/2015/08/11/man-in-the-high-castle-discussion-gear-diary-book-club/#commentsTue, 11 Aug 2015 14:08:19 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=350184We hope you all enjoyed reading The Man in the High Castle as much as we did. Here are a few takes on our thoughts, and please add yours to the discussion below! Carly: This is truly a fascinating book. It’s tough to read at times because the racism and anti-semitism seems almost shocking, but …]]>

We hope you all enjoyed reading The Man in the High Castle as much as we did. Here are a few takes on our thoughts, and please add yours to the discussion below!

Carly: This is truly a fascinating book. It’s tough to read at times because the racism and anti-semitism seems almost shocking, but it’s also very real in the context of the story and the world it inhabits. I think that’s part of what makes the book and the alternate history it depicts feel so vibrant — instead of exposition about how the Nazi viewpoint of an Aryan race had permeated even the Japanese world, or listing the ways in which Japanese culture had dominated even other asian cultures, Philip K Dick simply showed it. He didn’t have to say that Chinese were secondary citizens to Japanese, it’s clear in the way the pedecab drivers are referred to by racial slurs. We don’t need chapter and verse on how the Germans struck a deal with Japan allowing them to declare all Jews, even those in Japanese areas, to be under the jurisdiction of German law, they just show it by having Frank arrested, along with the implication that Tagomi signing off on Frank’s transfer should have been a formality. It helps create this idea of a culture that’s possible and yet oppressive all at once without wasting excess time setting the stage.

The part that I’ve been puzzling over is the ending with Abdenson and “The Grasshopper Lies Heavy”. There are a few ways to look at it, in my view. One, that Abdenson was able to gain insight into a parallel universe using the I Ching, just like Tagomi uses the jewelry from Childan’s shop to see the parallel universe in the park. It’s a very PKD idea that by altering your consciousness, or how you approach your reality, you can see worlds within worlds and hidden viewpoints, and that’s essentially what the practitioners of the I Ching are looking to do-they’re looking to expand and alter what and how they see the world. And the creator of the jewelry, Frank Frink, is also an I Ching believer, so Tagomi’s using the jewelry to gain this insight still connects it back to the I Ching. That’s the more mystical/fantastical/sci-fi explanation I have for the ending.

The more mundane idea I had is that Juliana Frink sees the Grasshopper book as the truth simply because it exists. There’s an undercurrent in the last portion of the book about hope — Wegener hopes Project Dandelion will be derailed before the Germans destroy everything; Frink’s jewelry brings Childan and others hope that American culture is not completely subsumed (hence why there’s such an emphasis on it having “wu”); Juliana hopes that the existence of Abdenson and people like him means that the world isn’t finished — it’s not Germany and Japan forever, because as long as people see there’s another way then fascism hasn’t won. Her epiphany is that fascism is much like Abdenson’s “high castle” — if everyone just believes it’s impossible to reach it, then you can’t touch it. But it’s all an illusion, and fascism is as delicate and vulnerable as Abdenson’s home, and the hope spreading around the world is what will kill it in the end.

Candice: It is an interesting book, but it took me a week and a half to get through it (maybe because I was reading Go Set a Watchman at the same time, and it kinda scarred me for life lol)

I just wish that the environment was more fleshed out. What does San Francisco look like at this time? Is is the same or different? What do the buildings look like? I was really curious as to what the German rockets looked like.

Also, I felt like Dick just rambled about things that had nothing to do with the story. And the subplot with Juliana and the trucker/spy going to see Abendsen was kinda dumb. Just introduce Abendsen in some other way; it was just loosely tied with Juliana being Frinks wife.

Long story short: started off interesting, but needed more fleshing out of location and people, less rambling.

Well, those are our (different) takes on the book: what did you think?

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/08/11/man-in-the-high-castle-discussion-gear-diary-book-club/feed/3350184Introducing the Gear Diary Book Club!https://geardiary.com/2015/07/14/introducing-the-gear-diary-book-club/
https://geardiary.com/2015/07/14/introducing-the-gear-diary-book-club/#commentsTue, 14 Jul 2015 14:30:01 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=350028Around here, we love books. And we love discussing books. So we thought it would be fun to set up a virtual book club! If you’re interested, read on for more details, and don’t worry-we’re thinking this is a once a month or so deal, so you’ll have plenty of time to read the book …]]>

Around here, we love books. And we love discussing books. So we thought it would be fun to set up a virtual book club! If you’re interested, read on for more details, and don’t worry-we’re thinking this is a once a month or so deal, so you’ll have plenty of time to read the book before the discussion starts.

The first book we’ll be reading is Philip K Dick’s The Man in the High Castle. If it sounds familiar, it’s because Amazon has a TV adaptation of this book coming out in the fall. Here’s the plot summary, straight from Amazon:

“It’s America in 1962. Slavery is legal once again. The few Jews who still survive hide under assumed names. In San Francisco, the I Ching is as common as the Yellow Pages. All because some twenty years earlier the United States lost a war—and is now occupied by Nazi Germany and Japan.”

This is a fun one because it combines the mind-bending science fiction of Philip K Dick’s usual works with a heap of alternate history-what if the Allies lost World War II? You can find “The Man in the High Castle” on Amazon Kindle for $9.99, or read it for free via Amazon Kindle Unlimited. It’s also available from your local public library as well as Barnes and Noble and Kobo. A word of warning: the book tackles race, nationalism, and anti-Semitism, and at times uses strong and politically incorrect language. Remember that it is an alternate history where the Nazis won, and all the horrors and prejudices that might have come with that.

To further whet your appetite, here’s the Amazon trailer for their show, which premiers this fall:

Let us know in the comments if you’ll be participating, and we’ll return in mid-August for a discussion on “The Man in the High Castle”!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/07/14/introducing-the-gear-diary-book-club/feed/7350028Get to Know the Dead, Reckoning: Conversations with the Grateful Deadhttps://geardiary.com/2015/07/02/get-to-know-the-dead-reckoning-conversations-with-the-grateful-dead/
https://geardiary.com/2015/07/02/get-to-know-the-dead-reckoning-conversations-with-the-grateful-dead/#respondThu, 02 Jul 2015 14:30:26 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=349431What do you do when you have numerous interviews with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead and have only published a small number of them? If you are musician and journalist Alan Paul, you pull the interviews together and publish them as an Amazon Kindle Single. The result? The eBook-only Reckoning: Conversations with the …]]>

What do you do when you have numerous interviews with the surviving members of the Grateful Dead and have only published a small number of them? If you are musician and journalist Alan Paul, you pull the interviews together and publish them as an Amazon Kindle Single. The result? The eBook-only Reckoning: Conversations with the Grateful Dead by Alan Paul.

My friend Alan Paul is a musician and a journalist. His book on the Allman Brothers made the NY Times Best Sellers List last year. More recently, in advance of the three 50th anniversary shows the Dead will be playing at Soldiers Field in Chicago this weekend, he has been doing interviews with surviving members of the Grateful Dead as well as with Phish’s Trey Anastasio. When Alan realized he had a wealth of content he had not used, he decided to put it all together and create an eBook-only offering on Amazon.

The book, Reckoning: Conversations with the Grateful Dead by Alan Paul, is a good example of how publishing has changed. Rather than allowing his notes to languish in a file somewhere, Alan took his content, organized and edited it, and then submitted it to Amazon. Now it is available as a Kindle Single for just a few dollars.

Among the chapters you will find in this eBook are:

Give the Drummer Some: As he prepared to release his memoir, Deal, Bill Kreutzmann reflected on the joy and frustrations of life in the Grateful Dead, working with Jerry Garcia – and what Phil Lesh had against John Belushi.

Phathers and Sons: The Grateful Dead’s Phil Lesh and Phish’s Trey Anastasio have done only one interview together. This is it.

Eyes of the World: An interview with lyricist Robert Hunter.

Top Dog: The Dead’s Bob Weir returns to the land of the living with Ratdog, his ever-evolving “rock and roll Dixieland” band.

In preparation for seeing two of the three shows, I’ve started reading the book and I have to say… it is a fascinating read. If you like the Dead, or just have an interest in music, it is worth checking out.

Alan is the author of the Top Ten New York Times bestseller One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band as well as Big in China: My Unlikely Adventure Raising a Family, Playing the Blues, and Reinventing Myself in Beijing. Alan is a senior writer for Guitar World. He will be at one of the shows this weekend and will, no doubt, be sharing some of his thoughts during and after it. You can check out his reports on Facebook where he is alanpaulauthor or follow him on Twitter at @alpaul. You can grab his eBook Reckoning: Conversations with the Grateful Deadhere on Amazon.

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/07/02/get-to-know-the-dead-reckoning-conversations-with-the-grateful-dead/feed/0349431How Up to Date Is “Goodnight iPad”?https://geardiary.com/2015/03/10/how-up-to-date-is-goodnight-ipad/
https://geardiary.com/2015/03/10/how-up-to-date-is-goodnight-ipad/#commentsTue, 10 Mar 2015 17:15:34 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=342109My son loves (LOVES) the book “Goodnight iPad“. I’ve read it so many times I have it memorized, so I usually “read” it to him once it is lights-out. Half the time he’s asleep before I finish. Last night I realized some of the book’s technology references are already outdated, and it’s only four years old! …]]>

My son loves (LOVES) the book “Goodnight iPad“. I’ve read it so many times I have it memorized, so I usually “read” it to him once it is lights-out. Half the time he’s asleep before I finish. Last night I realized some of the book’s technology references are already outdated, and it’s only four years old!

The book lists a lot of gadgetry around the room: an iPad, a computer playing “Doom”, a screen saver of Angry Birds, NOOKs, an LCD HDTV, a Blackberry with a singing ringtone, texts, Facebook, Twitter, Macbook Air, and of course plugs and chargers. However, how many of these would you actually find in a room these days?

–iPad: Yup, still find one of those for sure.

–Kid playing Doom: Video games for sure. Doom on a desktop? Probably not.

–Angry Birds screen saver: Definitely past prime.

–NOOKs: HA! They’re hanging on by a thread.

–LCD HDTV: Absolutely.

–Blackberry: Highly unlikely.

–Singing ringtones: The specific reference to Eminem is out of date, but the concept is probably still going strong.

–Social Media: So far so good. Facebook and Twitter are still going strong, and at least there isn’t a MySpace reference!

–Macbook Air: Just got updated!

–Android: The book dodges obsolescence by referencing Android as a whole, not any particular version or manufacturer.

–Netflix: Definitely still relevant!

–Plugs and chargers: It’s going to be a very long time before these go out of date.

So a quick tally shows eight listed items still exist, while four reference items that are nearly out of date or are past their prime. Not bad for a book that was restricted by rhyming and rhythm as part of their gadget references! I would assume if it were written today there would be references to Apple Watches, Fitbits, and maybe Chromecast…what do you think “Goodnight iPad” will reflect in the future?

]]>https://geardiary.com/2015/03/10/how-up-to-date-is-goodnight-ipad/feed/1342109Russian Optimism – Nursery Rhymes With an Innocent Title & Horrible Endinghttps://geardiary.com/2015/01/09/russian-optimism-nursery-rhymes-with-an-innocent-title-horrible-ending/
https://geardiary.com/2015/01/09/russian-optimism-nursery-rhymes-with-an-innocent-title-horrible-ending/#respondFri, 09 Jan 2015 20:30:09 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=336521I love the comic The Oatmeal, and highlighted a speech given by Oatmeal cartoonist Matthew Inman at BAHfest on my personal blog. I was contacted about a new dark humor book called Russian Optimism, which they describe as having innocent titles and horrible endings. The book is an illustrated coffee table book with illustrations and …]]>

I love the comic The Oatmeal, and highlighted a speech given by Oatmeal cartoonist Matthew Inman at BAHfest on my personal blog. I was contacted about a new dark humor book called Russian Optimism, which they describe as having innocent titles and horrible endings. The book is an illustrated coffee table book with illustrations and translations.

I loved this book and found it both dark and morbid, but also hilarious. Let’s be clear – you need a certain sense of humor to appreciate this. Most people will be like my wife, who reacted to most pages by saying ‘that’s AWFUL’! For example, one of the rhymes is called The Woods:

The Woods: “A little boy found a machine gun. Nothing lives in the woods anymore.”

The format is as shown on the image above – on one side you get a graphic, and on the other the text: title, English translation, original Russian and the transliteration. The author notes that rather than incorporate the original rhyming scheme he chose to focus on preserving the original context and meaning.

Russian Optimism author Ben Rosenfeld notes that when he was growing up in New York as the child of Soviet immigrants, these rhymes highlighted many of the cultural differences between America and Russia. As he notes, whereas in America most movies have a happy ending, in a Russian movie if it looks like the hero will survive, you can be pretty sure he won’t.

https://geardiary.com/2015/01/09/russian-optimism-nursery-rhymes-with-an-innocent-title-horrible-ending/feed/0336521Why I Cancelled My Kindle Unlimited Subscriptionhttps://geardiary.com/2014/12/14/why-i-cancelled-my-kindle-unlimited-subscription/
https://geardiary.com/2014/12/14/why-i-cancelled-my-kindle-unlimited-subscription/#commentsSun, 14 Dec 2014 21:45:15 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=334448A few weeks ago I was reminiscing about my favorite science fiction book from my childhood. It was an anthology of short stories, and some intense Googling determined it was out of print. My search led me to the local library, and after poking around for just a few minutes, I cancelled my Kindle Unlimited …]]>

A few weeks ago I was reminiscing about my favorite science fiction book from my childhood. It was an anthology of short stories, and some intense Googling determined it was out of print. My search led me to the local library, and after poking around for just a few minutes, I cancelled my Kindle Unlimited

subscription.

First, the library had the Arbor House Treasury of Science Fiction, and that’s enough to make me love them forever. This is an anthology that includes Jules Verne’s “In the Year 2889”, where an author from the late 1800s predicted everything from crowd sourced journalism to Skype. No joke, he predicted video calling at a time when telephones were still a big deal. And my personal favorite science fiction story of all time, “As Necer Was”, which is a haunting and classic time loop story. It’s fun just finding and revisiting an old favorite for free. It’s also probably the first print book I’ve read in a very long time!

But since I was already on the library website, I figured I would check out their eBook section. It had been at least a year since I last checked it out, and they’ve added a whole slew of new titles. In just a few minutes I stocked up on several titles. It inspired me to try something new, since if I hated it, all I had to do was delete it. Best of all, it only took a few clicks to electronically send it to the Kindle app on my iPad, and once it was in my Kindle library, I could access the books on my phone and Kindle Paperwhite as well. It made me realize Kindle Unlimited wasn’t worthwhile for me; after all, why pay for unlimited eBooks when I could snag a significant number from the local library? Plus the library has far more mainstream titles (like several Michael Crichton titles), and with such tight Kindle integration there’s really no difference from Kindle Unlimited in the end experience.

Are you still using Kindle Unlimited? What’s your experience with your local library and eBooks? Let us know!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2014/12/14/why-i-cancelled-my-kindle-unlimited-subscription/feed/8334448Amazon Boosts eBooks with New Kindles, While B&N Pulls NOOK Downloadshttps://geardiary.com/2014/09/20/amazon-boosts-ebooks-with-new-kindles-while-bn-pulls-nook-downloads/
https://geardiary.com/2014/09/20/amazon-boosts-ebooks-with-new-kindles-while-bn-pulls-nook-downloads/#commentsSat, 20 Sep 2014 20:00:02 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=328859This has been a roller coaster week for eBook fans. If you’re an Amazon Kindle fan, it’s been a positive coaster; there are new Kindles galore! On the other hand, if you’re a Barnes and Noble NOOK fan, you just lost the ability to download NOOK books directly to your computer. Disappointed? Happy? Unsure? Read …]]>

This has been a roller coaster week for eBook fans. If you’re an Amazon Kindle fan, it’s been a positive coaster; there are new Kindles galore! On the other hand, if you’re a Barnes and Noble NOOK fan, you just lost the ability to download NOOK books directly to your computer. Disappointed? Happy? Unsure? Read on for more details!

Let’s start with the good news: Amazon has released a number of new Kindle Fires and even new eInk Kindles! They have a bumped up Kindle HD for only $99, a new 8.9″ Kindle HDX ($379), plus a kid-friendly Kindle HD ($149) with a protective case and two-year damage replacement guarantee. Meanwhile, on the eInk side, they’ve bumped up the low-end Kindle ($79) to include a touchscreen, and debuted a super-sharp screened eInk model called the Kindle Voyage ($199).

Of all these new Kindles, I think the Kids Edition Fire and the Kindle Voyage are the most intriguing. I can testify from personal experience that small children love tablets, but they are not the most gentle creatures. By throwing a Fire HD in a protective case, Amazon is already reducing some of the risks of damage, and the $49 premium over the regular Fire most likely covers much of the damage guarantee they’re offering. They’re also throwing in extras like a free year of Kindle Unlimited, and don’t forget that Fire OS offers restrictions like Kindle FreeTime to help parents keep track of game and video time versus reading time. It also starts kids and parents in Amazon’s ecosystem early, and I am sure Amazon’s plan is to lead them straight into more expensive Fire devices as they grow.

The Kindle Voyage is an interesting device. It’s quite expensive at $199, but Amazon is touting a super high-resolution and special bezels that allow you to turn the page without touching the screen. It’s not cheap, and it’s not going to appeal to the average reader, but this strikes me as similar to the Kindle DX. It’s for the people who really need or want a higher resolution, a flagship for the hardcore readers. Eventually, many of those features will trickle down to the lower end Kindles, but Amazon can still show off their innovations on the high-end first. Amazon isn’t afraid to lose money or break even, and a device like the Voyage shows there’s still a strong commitment to pure reading devices, even if they only sell a handful at that price.

So that’s the good news from the new Kindles side of the eBook world. On the other hand, Barnes and Noble upset some of their more dedicated fans this week by ripping away the ability to

On the other hand, Barnes and Noble upset some of their more dedicated fans this week by ripping away the ability to download titles to their computers. This may seem like a minor change for many, but it can be problematic for those who want to keep copies of their books saved as backups. It also means anyone with a NOOK who does not have WiFi can no longer download a book to their computer and then sync it over to their NOOK. Officially this change is for “security” reasons, apparently. Unfortunately, it’s impacting a vocal subset of users who are quite upset. It also does not help that B&N has made it clear the ability won’t be returning. This is just unfortunate timing for B&N, as it draws more attention to their lack of ongoing love for eBooks at a time when Amazon is showing they still stand strongly behind that market.

Did the B&N download fiasco impact you? Are you planning on snapping up one of the new Kindles? Let us know where you stand!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2014/09/20/amazon-boosts-ebooks-with-new-kindles-while-bn-pulls-nook-downloads/feed/2328859The Golden Notebook Nails Why Paper beats eBookhttps://geardiary.com/2014/07/28/golden-notebook-nails-paper-beats-ebook/
https://geardiary.com/2014/07/28/golden-notebook-nails-paper-beats-ebook/#respondTue, 29 Jul 2014 01:09:41 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=325861We are on vacation in Woodstock, NY, and the local bookstore had a very entertaining comic in the window. If the picture isn't clear, it shows a 90lb weakling getting stronger from reading the complete works of Plato in hardcover, then smacking for using an ebook reader on the beach. Certainly one advantage to hardcover! …]]>

We are on vacation in Woodstock, NY, and the local bookstore had a very entertaining comic in the window. If the picture isn't clear, it shows a 90lb weakling getting stronger from reading the complete works of Plato in hardcover, then smacking for using an ebook reader on the beach. Certainly one advantage to hardcover!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2014/07/28/golden-notebook-nails-paper-beats-ebook/feed/0325861Amazon Announces Kindle Unlimitedhttps://geardiary.com/2014/07/18/amazon-announces-kindle-unlimited/
https://geardiary.com/2014/07/18/amazon-announces-kindle-unlimited/#respondFri, 18 Jul 2014 12:40:14 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=325507Amazon has officially announced Kindle Unlimited, a $9.99 all you can read monthly ebook subscription. This was leaked earlier in the week, but now we have more details on this ebook and audiobook service! The killer feature here that could hurt other subscription ebook services is Whispersync for Voice. Amazon is offering it on compatible …]]>

Amazon has officially announced Kindle Unlimited, a $9.99 all you can read monthly ebook subscription. This was leaked earlier in the week, but now we have more details on this ebook and audiobook service!

The killer feature here that could hurt other subscription ebook services is Whispersync for Voice. Amazon is offering it on compatible titles, meaning you can start reading the ebook, switch to the audio book, and pick back up in the ebook version. Adding Whispersync for Voice to a book typically adds $3-5, so if you use that service more than once it’s worth looking at Kindle Unlimited’s selection!

Of course, selection is the big question mark here. Amazon says there are 600,000 titles so far, but that’s only a quarter of what Amazon sells in overall Kindle titles. Luckily, Amazon is offering a free 30 day trial, so if you aren’t sure if the library will work for you, give it a shot risk free!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2014/07/18/amazon-announces-kindle-unlimited/feed/0325507Amazon’s Whispersync for Voice Upgrades eBooks to Audiobookshttps://geardiary.com/2014/06/11/amazons-whispersync-voice-upgrades-ebooks-audiobooks/
https://geardiary.com/2014/06/11/amazons-whispersync-voice-upgrades-ebooks-audiobooks/#respondWed, 11 Jun 2014 12:35:15 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=323294Amazon may come under fire for their dominant position in ebooks, but they are number one for more reasons than just price aggression. Not all retailers can leverage the various versions of books to their advantage like Amazon can, and they’re showcasing it with their new “Whispersync for Voice” upgrades program. Amazon owns Audible.com, and …]]>

Amazon may come under fire for their dominant position in ebooks, but they are number one for more reasons than just price aggression. Not all retailers can leverage the various versions of books to their advantage like Amazon can, and they’re showcasing it with their new “Whispersync for Voice” upgrades program.

Amazon owns Audible.com, and so they can offer a combination deal on select Kindle books-buy the Kindle book, and add the audiobook for an additional cost. Prices seem to range from $0.99 to around $12.99, with newer and more popular titles being pricier. The idea is that you can start reading on your Kindle app, switch to the audiobook, and flip back to the book again later, and the combined cost of both audiobook and ebook is still cheaper than buying both separately.

I browsed my Kindle collection, and found a fair number of titles available. Some of them appear to be titles I grabbed when they were freebies, which is pretty smart. Amazon gave me a free book, and then offers the chance for me to pay for an “upgrade”; if even a few people snag that, it offsets the cost of offering titles for free in ebook form as a promotion. Effectively, this whole program is a way to add an upgrade to books, which have historically not been items you can monetize post-sale. You can suggest similar titles or otherwise push new purchases, but it’s a fascinating twist to offer a whole new format for the book as a bundled purchase.

I can’t imagine everyone will take Amazon up on these offers, but Amazon’s Whispersync for Voice Upgrades eBooks to Audiobooks a lot of potential. My wife and I use audiobooks for long car trips, and so I could actually see us using these in the reverse than Amazon pitches it. We’d buy the Kindle and audiobook version, but use the Kindle version as a fallback if we finished our trip before the audiobook was done, rather than as a Kindle book with an audio component. Still, no matter how you slice it, this is a pretty impressive value for the money. If Apple is serious about iBooks, I would imagine they’re considering the same idea. Maybe this could lead to a renaissance in audiobooks!

Have you tried Whispersync for Audio yet? Let us know your experiences below!

]]>https://geardiary.com/2014/06/11/amazons-whispersync-voice-upgrades-ebooks-audiobooks/feed/0323294Barnes and Noble Teams with Samsung for New Nookshttps://geardiary.com/2014/06/05/barnes-noble-teams-samsung-new-nooks/
https://geardiary.com/2014/06/05/barnes-noble-teams-samsung-new-nooks/#commentsThu, 05 Jun 2014 20:45:13 +0000http://geardiary.com/?p=322362Looks like Barnes and Noble has hit upon a new way to keep their NOOK business relevant, while still getting out of the costly hardware space — they’re partnering with Samsung to make NOOK branded Galaxy Tablets! This looks like a win for everyone. B&N will continue to sell tablets, and Samsung has a new avenue …]]>

Looks like Barnes and Noble has hit upon a new way to keep their NOOK business relevant, while still getting out of the costly hardware space — they’re partnering with Samsung to make NOOK branded Galaxy Tablets! This looks like a win for everyone. B&N will continue to sell tablets, and Samsung has a new avenue to showcase their products.

Barnes and Noble does say they will continue to sell the NOOK Simple Touch with Glowlight, which makes sense. There’s only so much upgrading and development that needs to go into an eInk device at this point, and B&N can refresh the NOOK Glowlight every few years with better screens and more memory. Plus, they avoid sinking large sums of money into hardware research and development.

Meanwhile, there’s a cynical part of me that thinks Samsung had a warehouse of unsold Galaxy Tablets and this made for an easy way to get rid of them without much effort. Since the NOOK Tablet line already uses Android, it should be fairly easy to add B&N’s software to the Galaxy Tablets, and since Samsung is already pushing the tablet envelope they can offer up trickled down hardware to B&N that competes well against Amazon’s Kindle Fire. Basically, as Amazon continues to make the Kindle Fire into an actual tablet, B&N/Samsung (Barsam and Nobsung?) can keep pace with ease, since the Galaxy Tablet line will naturally feed the NOOK line with hardware.

This really is a brilliant deal-Samsung sells more hardware, and B&N can focus on selling books, but both companies keep a toehold in the ebook business. It’s one of the first big moves we’ve seen from B&N’s NOOK division in a while, so let’s hope this is a sign of more competitive changes to come!